MAYA 1b:

MAYA 1b:

Updated Perissopod Body Plans

Here are the new ones

Vs the old ones

The old ones looked a bit samey not really justifying why I was calling them "classes" so I decided to make the body plans of each class more distinct

Since they come from a squid-like ancestor with a radially symmetric body I've made it so that you can gradually see it transition to being more bilateral

Also a few changes to their general anatomy but I'll post updated ref sheets some time later

Two Brother Lepiraptors (Butterfly-Hawks) out on a hunt

Some concepts of "trees"on Maya1b

Essentially, all "trees" on this world are structures formed by symbiotic association between algae and a mass of colonial organisms, which has the added benefit of giving them a lot of these "plants" (especially smaller ones) nifty mixotrophic mode of nutrition, a trait pretty beneficial in the ever changing climate of this world

In essence this means, if things get really tough, the "plants" may in fact start becoming mobile and actively start hunting animals, blurring the lines between what constitutes a plant or not

How much of this behavior a plant shows varies from time to time & species to species

Oh this is how they're coloured btw

There's also a whole other story about their reproduction which is modelled after cnidarians and mosses buuuut thats a story for another time

Spec Evo Project: Maya 1b

Part 1: The Sophonts

Some background Info:

My spec evo world Maya 1b or Halahal, it's a planet a bit smaller than earth but with a much higher eccentricity and axial tilt than ours that leads to a relatively cold, dry world with extreme seasonal shifts, this project is about exploring how the biology of the creatures and subsequently the culture of the sophont species would work in such an environment

Enough about the world, here we go

These guys are my main sophont species, one that I've tentatively named "Butterfly Hawks", part of the Artiopoditheria (transl. Even-Legged Beast) phylum that contains creatures having 12,6 or 2 legs

The Butterfly-Hawks are a group of dodecapods that have developed powered flight and hunt in packs among the grassy plains of their planet and are starting to display the first signs of sapience

Alright onto anatomy

1) Eyestalks

They possess one pair of retractable eyestalks on the anterior part of the head covered in "fuzz" that serve the fuction of both mechanoreceptors and to protect the eyes

This feature grants them a wide range of vision, a characteristic of their phylum

The head is a bit smaller than pictured here, the fuzz accounts for about 40℅ of its size

2) Antennae

Instead of an ear, they have four feathery antennae-like structures present near the eye stalks

These mainly serve the function of mechanoreceptors, picking up vibrations, auditory & pheromone signals and could be moved around and adjusted like the pinnae of cats or dogs

The antennae are also moved around to help communicate with other members of the species

They are mainly dark in colour covered with spot like designs to facilitate communication by making the it easier to identify and read the movements

3) Feeding Appendages

All Artiopods possess a pair of feeding appendages to capture and ensnare prey and which also often aid in defense often situated above or surrounding the opening to the proboscis

The Butterfly-Hawks possess quite a robust pair of feeding appendages with long inward curved spikes(not pictured here) to quickly kill and tear apart prey

As past of the body it is also covered with picnofibres to help insulate the body

4) Forewings

The first pair of limbs in hexapods is modified to form the first wing in Butterfly-Hawks and their relatives

These are the secondary wings and are slightly rounded to help steer and maneuver the body while flying

Each wing also possesses three fingers

Thus, when not flying, the fore wings are also used to grasp and to manipulate tools

The fore wings surround the opening to the proboscis and also sometimes help in further breaking down food to "swallow"

5) Midwings

The midwings are formed by the fusion of the 2nd, 3rd & the 4th pair of limbs in the dodecapods, three fingers curl inwards to form the wing and the other three are used for griping and standing when not in flight

These are the primary set of wings, broad, muscular and used to generate flight

The Butterfly-Hawks have an average wingspan of about 7 feet

These wings possess an splotchy pattern that is dark at the extremities and yellow or whitish near the centre

This splotchy pattern helps members of a pack to identify one another like seen in the multicolored coats of Painted dogs, and like human fingerprints the pattern on each Butterfly-Hawk is specific to that individual only

6) Hindwings

The hindwings are formed by fusion of the 5th & 6th pair of limbs in dodecapods

Longer and pointer in shape than the forewings this set of secondary wings play a greater part in balancing and steering analogous to the tails of earth birds

While similar in function to bird tails, they have a greater range of mobility and could be unfurled and adjusted to make flight easier

The hindwings are held up in most situations while flying or walking as the large midwings provide a stable enough surface but the could be extended down to provide extra stability to the body while perching or walking

7) Spiracles

Butterfly-Hawks like other artiopods, possess two pairs of spiracles in the upper side of their body, one pair near the forewings and the other near the hindwings

Work alternatively to inhale and exhale air

As such the respiratory system of all Artiopods is distinct from the digestive system making it a more efficient method of respiration than the one humans possess

Aaaaaand we're done for now

This was a very general overview of the physiology of the Butterfly-Hawks, the next part I'll probably upload will shown the other major phylum on this planet, the Perissopoditheria (or the Odd-Legged Beast) in the meantime enjoy this Butterfly-Hawk sitting and thanks for reading

MAYA 1b:

The Planet

The planet that the aliens in this project inhabit is an Uncapped Cryoplanet, it could be understood as an inversion of Earth, a Capped Aquaplanet ie ice on its poles and oceans in the middle

Therefore an Uncapped Cryoplanet has ice along it's equator and frost free oceans & "jungles" at the poles

Such an arrangement is a result of mainly 3 things:

Obliquity: Beyond 54° of axial tilt, the poles receive greater solar input than the equators, Maya 1b has an axial tilt of 70°, such a extreme tilt leads to the formation of permanent ice sheets around the equator

Rotation Rate: The planets rotates slightly faster than Earth (average day around ~ 20 hrs) , which causes a more oblong shape, with higher elevations at the equator and the poles closer to the crust

Continents: The continental arrangement is such that multiple long mountain chains exist along the equator further leading to ice formation

All these things combined together give rise to the odd arrangement of this world

The planet also has much higher eccentricity than Earth, which gives it a more elliptical orbit, that combined with the high axial tilt leads to some extreme seasonal variation across the year

Given the geography of Maya 1b, sophont groups from both Perissopodithera & Artiopodithera evolved separately and independent of one another, each pole is it's own unique biosphere, for long, each pole wasn't even aware of the other's existence and the unique life that it hosted but that would change soon when two brothers venture out from the North Pole to the South, changing the course of history and initiating contact between the two biospheres & their inhabitants......for better or worse

who knew these jurassic park rejects could be cute

People describe shoebill storks as being scary or ugly birds and always use one image to make their point. When in every other photo they look like this

More like shoebill dork